I love writing. I’ve always hope that this blog would afford me an outlet for my writing but somehow I never seem to follow through. I never seem to afford the time to write. I am hoping to start using my mornings to this end. I can really waste a morning. Typically I am up about 2 hours before anyonelse or before I need to be anywhere. My typical morning is waking up and letting the dog out, making coffee, then watching something on TV that I have DVR’d. I need to keep the TV off and use that time for writing. Enough excuses lets get on to my blog post for the day.

Frantic Fridays is the day allow myself to write about anything I desire. Today I want to explore how you balance a servent life with trying to keep some time for yourself. I’ve spent most of my life mainly concerned about me. What I wanted and how to achieve it was what my life was about. I don’t think I was like obnixious about it. I was just pursing the American Dream like everyone around me. Then Jesus found me. That pretty much changed everything. I really understood the concept of giving my life to Jesus and as with everything in my life I did it with my whole self. Don’t get me wrong I have no regrets to my pursuit of being a servant. I am much happier helping other people than I ever was helping myself. Yet I feel that I’m being led to explore some other avenues of ministry right now. I by no way feel like I am being called away from Urban Missions but some additonal ministries to what I am doing. Writing is one of those additional ministries. The only problem is feel guilty writing becuase I recieve such enjoyment and if just doesn’t feel like work to me. I guess what I am struggling with right now is even if I didn’t feel like writing was a ministry for me but something that I just wanted to do for myself. Which is true I do have some ministry writing I want to do but I want to work on my cookbook, poetry, essays and many other projects that aren’t “ministry” driven, just somethings I want to write becuase I enjoy them. So how do you balance being a servant with having time for yourself.

So this will be representive of many of my blog post. My old pal Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “When we arrive at the question, the answer is always near.” So I am getting us in proximity of the answer feel free to comment or help us find it from here.

We try to live our lives in little boxes. We have the family box, work or school box, fun box and then the smallest box of all our church box. We are like schizophrenic with a different personality matching each box. Guys our Christianity should shine through in every aspect of our lives. I am so tired of the Christian box. I am going to be a Christian Counselor, Christian Musician, Christan Artist, Christian Teacher, and the list goes on! Well I have reinvented my little blog and I have news for you its not a Christian Blog! It is a blog written by a Christian! My Christianity shapes everything about me but there is more to me than being a Missionary. I have patterned my little corner of cyber-space to reflect all my passions including cooking, art, thinking, missions, Christ and my randomness. I hope that my love for Christ shines through it but not every post will be about Christ.

You see being Missional is not about taking the latest program or memorizing the latest evangelism tract. It is about you being the you that God created you to be and people seeing Christ through you. I’ll let you in on a little secret, keep this just between us, but no one is impressed by you saying your a Christian. What catches people attention is you living a a consistent life that reflects you being a Christian. That way if you talk about Christ they say, “Hmm maybe I should listen.”
Be the real deal!

There is my first post on my Re-invented blog. I hope that you will tune in from time to time and be a part of my rants. I am going to strive to be faithful in my writing. This is my first Missional Monday entry. Soon to follow is: Transparent Tuesdays, Whisking Wednesday, Theoretical Thursdays, Frantic Fridays, Aesthetic Saturdays and Sermon Note Sundays. Feel free to comment on any post.

So here I sit at 3 am writing on my blog. My sleep schedule is so out of whack from the hospital.

I sit contemplating how we carelessly talk about God’s blessings. The funny thing, well not really that funny, is how we always equate Being blessed by God with prosperity and ease. I hear American Christians say we are blessed to live in this land where we are free to worship. Which implies Christians in India, China or other persecuted lands are not blessed. Which is a faulty conclusion since the Church is growing there better than Here. Did Paul not state in Athens:

26 From one man He has made every nation of men to live all over the earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live, 27 so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us Acts 17: 26 & 27 (HCB)

It seems that prosperity gospel has influenced are theology. Let us recall God’s real blessing is salvation not economic multiplication.

Horizontal blind and glass
Self appointed jailers yet
my mind is roaming free

My nomadic soul
Tires of a Horizon view
horizontally  altered 

Hawk glides on windy blue skies
 altered by dusty blinds
Alone I rest coveting eyes

Hospital Haiku by Scottyb

Altered by horizontal blind   
Eye and toe covets horizons 
I lay back down alone

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 2:18

I have come to realize that God has designed us to need to each other. This is not a comfortable realization for me. I grew up an appalachia boy who was taught a man was independent and did not rely on anyone or anything besides his wits and hard work. When I was a Chef I was known for flying solo in the kitchen. Most Chef’s hired Sous Chefs that they trusted and worked closely with. Me I hired good cooks who would listen to me and do what I told them to do. That all changed after Jesus found me and called me into this crazy ministry that I am so blessed to be associated with.

When I became a Christian I was surrounded by a group of Godly me like: Mike Belcher, Kevin Moore, David Wyatt, Tim Owen and many others. I would go to visitation and Pastor would say, “Scott’s with me.” He taught me so much during those visits. They all help me start my walk with the Lord. Not long after that I started my journey as a missionary.

God gave me the most amazing mentor in Mike Barnhouse. He was very patient with me and taught me so much about staying focused on people not programs. He taught me how to relate to different cultures and how to find ways to meet physical and emotional needs to point people to Jesus. I was blessed to serve at his side for 6 or 7 years and I miss him deeply these days. So here I was a cook trying to run a ministry and God drops CB Scott into my life. He game me a copy of Ryre’s Basic Theology and took time to meet with me each week to the theology of our faith. The fact that this man who wast the Sunday School Director at the church, head of maintenance at the seminary and a seminary student could find time to disciple me effected me on a very deep level. It makes it very hard for me not to have time to disciple someone one. God paced all these men around me to help me get started in His work.

My next blog I will talk about how he sent some amazing young people to strengthen and grow me.

Mission Raleigh workers or any Christian for that matter should never see themselves as anything other than servants. If we see ourselves as servants it makes it hard for us to complain. I have kept an anonymous quote over my desk for years. It says, “A true test of a servant is how he acts when he is treated like one.”
I thought we would explore how to be servants by looking at Isaiah’s prophesy of the greatest servant which would be Jesus.

Isaiah 42: 1 – 4

“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen.
 He is my chosen one, who pleases me.
 I have put my Spirit upon him.
 He will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout
 or raise his voice in public.
He will not crush the weakest reed
 or put out a flickering candle.
He will bring justice to all who have be wronged.
He will not falter or lose heart
until justice prevails throughout the earth.
Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”

Let’s see what we can learn from this beautiful picture of Jesus.
“He will bring justice to the nations.” One of the reasons people did not accept Jesus as the messiah because they thought if he was the messiah he would bring justice by freeing them from Roman rule. Jesus bought justice by providing a way for us all to have a sacrifice that would cover out sins. We are not much different from the people in Jesus’ day in the fact that we are very short sighted in our view. I may not be able to bring “social justice” to Raleigh North but I can bring the Way to them. In the long run what is my mission? Is it to make sure that their heating/ac is restored in a timely manner or to make sure they have a clear understanding of how to make Jesus Lord and Master of their lives. We live in but a moment let us set out task not on the moment but on eternity.
“He will not shout or raise his voice in public.” I get asked frequently why I don’t get Mission Raleigh on the news or in the paper. The fact of the matter is we could do this very easily. Kristi is well trained in public relations and could keep us in the press. But we serve the world but not to get the world’s glory. We have chosen not to shout or raise our voices to draw attention to us but to rather humbly serve and deflect all glory to God.
“He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle.” In other words we are not to look to crush or hurt the people with whom we work. We are to be gentle and loving and have a ministry of restoration.
“He will not falter or lose heart…” Trust me when I tell you I understand what it is to want to quit. I understand the sacrifices you make to serve your Mission Points. We can not falter or lose heart. Look around where you serve. How many churches are trying to reach our people? Our numbers are critically low right now. I know it is hard but if not us then who? We are CALLED by God Himself to reach The Oaks, Raleigh North, Cedar Point and Bradford Crossings. Let us be faithful to our call and not seek the easy and comfortable path.
Know that I am praying for you. Know that I love each of you. Know that I count it an honor to be considered a servant by your side.

I know it’s been a while since I have posted and I am sorry. I had a really rough spell during my recovery. I was in and out of the Hospital during the whole month of November. At one time I was in the Hospital 10 out of 14 days! But right around Thanksgiving things started to turn. I am doing much better still having issues with a belly button that won’t quite heal and I am still having problems eating. But I have lost 120 pounds and still losing. I now weigh around 315!

I am writing this blog from the Community Center at Bradford Crossings. We are right in the Middle of Mission Raleigh Christmas! God has really been revealing to me that He has a Job for me here in the City next year. We have lots of work to do to get the sites we are running to be effectively reaching the people. I am going to be very aggressive in getting all our Mission Points running well once again.

We are blessed to have a team hear from Lakeside Community Church in Maine. As the weather has gotten bad (at least for the south), it’s been good to have them here.

That’s my update. I will try to be more faithful in the New Year for writing.